Emergency Preparation Mentor Rides Into Town

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By: Joe Patti

In: Arts Admin, Project & Time Management

Recently there was a new addition to the list of emergency preparation resources available to performing arts organizations. We have previously discussed ArtsReady which was created after Hurricane Katrina.  In January 2017 Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) was formed as a service of Lyrasis.

ArtsReady is among the groups which are partnering and supporting Performing Arts Readiness, but the latter offers some resources you won’t currently find with ArtsReady.  They have a series of webinars on topics like disaster preparation and planning, cybersecurity and crisis communication.

They are also offering grants supporting the creation of emergency response networks. The initial round of grants has rolling deadlines between October 16, 2017 and  June 30, 2018.

The expansion of existing emergency response and support networks to include performing arts organizations. Guidelines and application are here.

The development of two new emergency response and support networks. Guidelines and application are here.

Their most innovative initiative is a circuit rider program currently in a trial period in Ohio and New Jersey. It borrows the term from clergy which used to serve an assigned series of communities in the sparsely settled frontier of the United States. The PAR iteration of the concept has a person based at a regional partner organization who provides support to organizations in that region.  It sounds like a great idea. Let’s hope the program expands.

“Circuit Rider” mentoring programs to provide local community-based training, consulting, and expertise in selected cities and states. Mentoring will support the development of individual institutional emergency plans and area-wide networks and partnerships.

The Ohio based circuit rider, Stephanie Petcavage, introduced herself at a PAR presentation at the 2017 Arts Midwest conference. She indicated she might be able to provide assistance to groups in the Midwest outside her current geographic assignment. She works at ICA Art Conservation, which we noted is already involved with preservation and restoration of arts and cultural materials.

Stephanie doesn’t really ride a horse as part of her duties, but she said it would be cool if she could
Joe Patti
Author
Joe Patti
In addition to writing for ArtHacker, I have been writing the blog, Butts in the Seats (buttsseats.com) since 2004. I am also an evangelist for the effort to Build Public Will For Arts and Culture being helmed by Arts Midwest and the Metropolitan Group. (https://www.creatingconnection.org/about/) I am currently the Theater Manager for the Rialto Theater in Loveland, CO. Across my career I have worked as the Executive Director at The Grand Opera House in Macon, GA, at University of Hawaii-Leeward Community College, University of Central Florida, Asolo Theater, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Appel Farm Arts and Music Center and numerous other places both defunct and funky.
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